


A Tale of One Shadow

by Starleay120



Category: Original Work
Genre: Child Abandonment, F/M, Forests, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder, My First AO3 Post, Mystery, Mystery Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:21:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27063334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starleay120/pseuds/Starleay120
Summary: Damon Rose had heard many stories about the being that resides in the forest. Some said it was haunted by a vengeful spirit who stole away children in the night. Others said it was a monster; A big, scaly monster with long teeth and razor sharp claws that ate anyone who came near. Most, however, said it was a demon; A humanoid figure to lure them in, only to reveal their curled horns and devious eyes, to burn their souls away with the hellfire that clung to their inhuman body. Anyone who stepped foot into the forest was said to never come out.The last bit was untrue.After all, Damon and his twin Dante went in, met the monster, and made it out alive to tell the tale.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Who Are You?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you for clicking on my work. My name is Star and I'll be joining you on this ride of a disasterpiece.  
> This has been a work in the making for almost 6 years now and finally I'm at a point where I'd like to show it off to the world!  
> I don't know how often I can update it, I'm a procrastinator by blood, but I will do my best.  
> I hope you all enjoy it, and please feel free to leave any feedback as I am still a young aspiring writer and any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.  
> This is also my very first time posting to Ao3 so please go easy on me.  
> Till next time,  
> ~Star

It was a day Damon remembers often. It began as an ordinary day, a day like millions before it, and millions that would come after it. However, when a strange rumour had begun to pass around his fourth grade class like wildfire, this particular day started to become less than ordinary.  
  
“Hey have you heard? There’s a haunted house in the forest!”  
  
“What? Really?”  
  
“Yeah! And I heard if you go inside you’ll get possessed by ghosts!”  
  
“Woah, that’s scary!”  
  
“I know right?!”  
  
He didn’t believe it, or at least he tried to. It sounded like a bunch of bogus to him, ghosts and possessions, but that didn’t stop his raging curiosity. He always wondered why he was never allowed to go in the woods.  
  
“I dunno, sounds fake to me.”  
  
The other boys in the class snickered to themselves.  
  
“Scared Damon?”  
  
“Wha– Scared?!”  
  
“Yeah, I bet he can’t even get close to the forest without chickening out!”  
  
All the boys began to dance around him, chanting “Damon’s a scaredy cat!” He was known around his class for being just that, a scaredy cat, because he was always easily frightened compared to his calm and composed twin brother.  
  
“C’mon guys, it was one time!”  
  
No matter how he tried to defend himself, the teasing and chanting wouldn’t stop.  
  
“Arg! Fine, I’ll show you guys I’m not a scaredy cat! I’m gonna go inside that house all by myself!”  
  
He stormed out of the classroom, determination in his eyes that soon faded as soon as he realized what he said. But he couldn’t just back down. He was, of course, a ten year old boy. And so he decided to do what any young naïve boy would do.  
  
He told his brother Dante, and that night they went into the forest together.  
  
It was kinda scary, he thought as he stared down the dirt path that led to the supposedly haunted house, the sound of cars roaring by on the highway behind them. Not that he’d admit he was scared to anyone except his twin who stood beside him. He subconsciously grabbed his brother’s hand as they began their trek down the path.  
  
It was a relatively calm autumn night. The forest was quiet. It amazed Damon how the absence of something as natural as noise caused their excursion to become even scarier. Darkness crept out from behind every tree, threatening to swallow them whole. Every twig snapped or bush rustled by an animal scurrying away caused Damon to tense up, gripping Dante’s hand tighter. The sound of an owl cooing in the darkness made him jump slightly, laughing nervously to quell his fear. Dante still eyed him worryingly.  
  
“Hey, maybe we should–”  
  
The sound of a siren going off in the distance caused Damon to scream, cutting off Dante mid-sentence. He let go of Dante’s hand, racing down the dirt path ahead of his brother, rushing to get this stupid challenge done and over with. He heard Dante call out to him, but his sheer panic drove him forward. He didn’t dare spare a glance at the trees as he ran past, out of fear of locking eyes with the shadows ready to jump out and drag him into the depths of the woods, never to be seen again. He did, however, skid to a stop when he reached a clearing at the end of the dirt path.  
  
Damon could barely feel his trembling body, his racing heart, his lungs begging for oxygen. He didn’t know what he expected to see, maybe a grand old mansion like the ones in fairy tales. He certainly didn’t expect to see the remains of what once was a small, two story house. The top, where there was a second floor, was completely caved in. Wood and debris that stuck out like a sore thumb were singed at the tips. The bottom floor looked as though it were about to cave in any second.  
  
The clearing was devoid of any life. No grass, bushes, animal dens. The trees surrounding the clearing were bent backwards, leaning on the trees behind them for support. As if the forest itself was repulsed by the house being there. The wind howled behind him, causing Damon to shiver under his light jacket.  
  
Damon gulped, gathering his courage to take a step forward before the distinct sound of slapping against the dirt path reached his ears. He would’ve assumed it were Dante, if not for the fact that whatever was approaching him was abnormally fast and running on four legs.  
  
“Damon, watch out!!”  
  
He turned at his brother’s voice. It was too late for him to react to the being until it’d already knocked him to the ground. Blue filled his vision and he was enveloped in a soothing smokey scent. Whatever it was, it was breathing heavily, coughing out blood and groaning in pain. Once Damon had recovered his own breath, he managed to roll it off of him. And that’s when he noticed it was a girl around their age.  
  
Her long blue hair was matted with dirt and fresh blood. Her eyes were squeezed shut, with soft pained moans escaping her bloodied lips. There were dried tear tracks staining her dirty face. Her clothes were torn to shreds, barely hanging onto her unnaturally slender body. She had deep gouges in her shoulder blades that were steadily bleeding. But what surprised him the most was the fact that her face, back, sides and arms were covered in vibrant blue scales. Her nails looked like claws, and they were coated in fresh blood. She opened her mouth to suck in a breath and he noticed her teeth were incredibly long and sharp as well. She was scary. She was a true monster.  
  
He would’ve run off in fear, but his body seemed rooted in place. The scales lining her body began to peel off and fall to the ground, crumpling to dust the moment they touched the dirt. By the time Dante had caught up with him, all of the scales had fallen off. No way Dante would ever believe him if he told him what the girl was. Underneath her scales were bruises. Bruises everywhere. She managed to crack an eye open just a smidge and caught Damon’s gaze. Damon’s breath caught in his throat.  
  
She had the most beautiful blue eyes he’d ever seen. Her eyes held pain, sadness, loneliness, betrayal. He was drawn to her. He wanted to know how one so young could experience so much. She may have been a monster in every physical sense of the word, but inside she was just a scared young girl who had too much cruelty bestowed upon her.  
  
Her eyes screwed shut, preventing Damon from reading any more of her. Her tense body twitched a few times before eventually going limp, her breathing becoming uncomfortably shallow. Damon panicked, afraid he was about to watch her die.  
  
“Dante, w-we have to do something!!”  
  
Dante, who had been bewildered by the entire experience, nodded. Together they hoisted up the girl’s light body and carried her back to their home. For some reason, there were a lot of police out that night.  
  
* * * * *  
  
She awoke with a start, jolting upright before an intense pain shot through her entire body. She let out a blood curdling scream.  
  
“W-woah, hey be careful there hon!”  
  
A pair of soft hands on her shoulders pushed her back down. After a couple of deep breaths, she managed to open her eyes. The walls weren’t white and blank like she was used to. There were no blinding fluorescent lights shining down on her. She wasn’t surrounded by old men wielding frightening instruments made for slicing her open.  
  
The walls were a comforting shade of orange. The small room was illuminated by natural lighting peeking in through an open window. Her entire torso was bandaged and she was wearing unfamiliar shorts that barely fit around her waist. Most importantly, there was a woman with long auburn hair and kind gray eyes staring at her with a worried expression plastered across her face. The woman let out a sigh of relief.  
  
“Oh, thank goodness you’re okay. You were out cold for three whole days, we honestly weren’t sure if you were going to make it.”  
  
She looked at the woman again, checking for any signs of deception. A twitch of the eyebrows. A malicious smile. Unnatural eye contact. Tense muscles. Nervous breathing. She wasn’t displaying any of them. It surprised her, and she allowed herself to lower her guard slightly.  
  
“No... doc...tor..?”  
  
The woman looked bewildered at the sudden question. She probably wasn’t expecting the girl to speak.  
  
“Hm? Oh, no I’m not a doctor. I am a nurse though, so I’d say I’m at least somewhat qualified to take care of you.”  
  
Her brows furrowed. That wasn’t what she meant, and the big words the woman used only continued to confuse her.  
  
“No... doc...tor… place..?” she tried again.  
  
The woman paused, seemingly trying to make sense of her words.  
  
“Doctor place..? Oh, a hospital?”  
  
The girl nodded. That term sounded familiar. The woman looked sheepish, a little guilty as well.  
  
“Well… See I definitely wanted to take you to the hospital, but one of my boys was so adamant on keeping you here. Do you want me to take you there?”  
  
Her body seized up in fear. She tightly gripped the blanket draped over her body, afraid her only form of protection at that moment would be ripped away from her. She shook her head no, attempting to ignore the pain rocking her entire body at the movement. She wouldn’t go back to that place.  
  
The woman began to panic at her intense reaction.  
  
“O-okay..! No hospital it is then..!”  
  
While she did calm down slightly, she proceeded to keep her guard up this time.  
  
“W-well, how about your parents then? I bet they’re worried sick about you.”  
  
She stayed silent for a few minutes. Her parents? Her mother was conceited, and only seemed to pay attention to the girl when she needed an emotional punching bag. But her mother loved her, she always told her so. She said she was the only one in the entire world who understood the young girl. Thinking about her always caused her chest to tighten painfully.  
  
Her father, however, hated her from the moment she was born. He never outright told her so, but she could always tell by the look in his eyes whenever she spoke to him. She was sure the only reason he stuck around and didn’t dump her off on the first street corner he could was because of his undying love for her mother. There was no way he could care about her, even if he had the ability to care anymore.  
  
There was no specific expression that crossed her face so the woman had no idea what the young girl was thinking. The woman didn’t think she’d say anything after that until her small, croaky voice filled the silence.  
  
“Both… dead...”  
  
Dread filled the room. The girl, who looked so much younger than the woman’s own two sons, was an orphan with serious injuries she’d never seen on a child before. Scrapes and bruises everywhere, a cracked rib, a gunshot wound in the right shoulder, deep holes in her shoulder blades, a feverishly high temperature, and pushed to pure exhaustion, almost to the point of death. Her sons told her that the girl had been _running_ with all these injuries. She was surprised the girl managed to survive that night.  
  
The woman blinked back the tears she knew were coming as she leaned forward and enveloped the girl in a soft hug. She let out a confused hum, but made no indication that she was uncomfortable with the interaction. As a mother herself, the woman felt some sort of obligation to show this child some sort of affection that she seemed to have not received during her entire young life.  
  
A loud grumble filled the room. The woman released her and chuckled.  
  
“Here, let’s go get you something to eat.”  
  
She helped up the young girl, making sure she was able to stand properly before leading her out of the room. Their dining room wasn’t too far from the guest room the girl was staying in. The girl noticed many framed pictures lining the long hallway towards a larger room. They all contained the woman, a man with dirty blonde hair and green eyes, and two young boys, both with auburn hair and each one with one of their parent’s distinct eye colours. She stopped at a picture of just the boys, staring at the one with his mother’s soft gray eyes.  
  
“Those are my boys,” the woman said, appearing next to the girl. “This one,” she pointed to the one with her gray eyes, “is Damon, he’s the younger of the two. And the other,” she moved her finger along the picture to point to the one with sea green eyes and glasses, “is Dante, he’s the older and very protective of his brother. He won’t admit it though.”  
  
The girl reached out, tracing her fingers over the image of the one called Damon. He saw her. He saw what she really was. She saw the fear in his eyes, the way everyone looks at her, and yet he still brought her to his home to recover.  
  
“Da...mon...”  
  
It felt wrong, hearing his name come from the mouth of something like her. And yet, she couldn’t help it. She felt a warm, fuzzy sensation in her chest. She didn’t know if she liked it or not.  
  
The woman quickly went into one of the two rooms lining the hallway and returned with a plain black t-shirt. She helped the girl into the shirt, which was really baggy on the young girl, before continuing their trek to the dining room. She sat the girl down at the table before moving to the kitchen to start preparing a meal for the young girl. She decided to make a large brunch type meal, she wasn’t sure how much the young girl would eat even if she was unconscious for three days, and whatever she didn’t eat the woman was sure her boys would snack on when they returned from school.  
  
She figured it wouldn’t take her very long but she still tried to strike up a conversation with her house guest while she waited. She brought the girl a glass of water.  
  
“I know this is long overdue, but my name is Bryn Rose. Would you mind telling me yours?”  
  
The girl drank her entire glass of water at once, handing Bryn the glass to signify another. She returned with another full glass and handed it to the girl.  
  
“Do you have a name?”  
  
The girl took another swig, this time only halving the glass before placing it back down on the table. She nodded slowly. She opened and closed her mouth a few times but the words never seemed to want to leave her throat. She shook her head. Bryn sighed, ruffling the small girl’s hair but not noticing the slight flinch at the action.  
  
“That’s alright, I won’t force you to tell me.”  
  
Bryn returned to the kitchen, continuing to make her meal for the girl. It took a little over an hour, but the young girl could barely contain her amazement at the feast that was presented to her. Pancakes and waffles, bacon and sausage, eggs and hashbrowns, bowls of fruit. The girl looked as though she hadn’t seen this much food in her life. Bryn smiled at her handiwork, gesturing for her to dig in. And dig in she did.  
  
It was amazing, Bryn thought as she watched the girl who was smaller than her own sons eat almost everything on the table. She left a few hashbrowns and a small portion of fruit leftover, but other than that she devoured every bit of food that was prepared for her like she hadn’t eaten in years. She ate with her bare hands, giving no regard to the utensils or napkins beside her plate until she’d finished everything. Even then Bryn had to help her clean off her face and hands. A very uncouth young child, but not one that couldn’t be worked with.  
  
After a short kitchen clean and a couple of glasses of water later, the two moved to a large room just beside the dining room. The room had a large couch and a couple of chairs laid out on the edges of a rectangular rug, bookshelves lining the sides of the room, small potted plants sitting on a windowsill, boxes of toys in between a relatively big flat screen television. The young girl looked immensely relaxed immediately after entering the room.  
  
The girl was immediately drawn to the tv. She cautiously approached it, carefully reaching out to touch it. As soon as her fingertip grazed the screen she recoiled harshly, as if she were afraid the tv was going to swallow her whole. She reached out, slower this time, until her palm was flat against the tv screen. She looked relieved yet confused. She turned to Bryn, who was watching her in intrigue.  
  
“What... this..?”  
  
Bryn approached her, gently pulling her hand away from the tv and picking up one of the remotes on the tv stand. She wasn’t really sure how to explain.  
  
“This is a television, or tv for short. It’s, um, something we use for entertainment. Here,” pressing a button on the remote, the tv flashed on to show a kids cartoon about colourful animals. “See? There’s moving pictures on the screen. Sometimes we’ll sit down and watch some of these to pass the time.”  
  
The girl was entranced by the cartoon playing on the screen. She’d never seen anything like it before. After a moment, she pointed at the screen, staring at Bryn with wide eyes.  
  
“Magic!!”  
  
Bryn couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. If it helped her to understand, Bryn saw no harm in letting her think it was magic. Her eyes were full of wonder, and there was a small smile plastered on her lips. She almost looked like a real child. No injuries. No hospitals. No dead parents. Just a child.  
  
The front door opened behind them and in trampled two ten year old's returning from a long day at school.  
  
“Mom! We’re home!” Damon yelled before looking over at the two girls sitting by the tv. He immediately broke into a grin. “Oh, you’re awake!!”  
  
The girl swiftly and silently made her way across the room and wrapped her arms around Damon. It was so fast that no one seemed to realize what was happening for several seconds until the girl’s hoarse voice filled the air.  
  
“Thank... for... save... me...”  
  
Damon didn’t quite seem to know how to react. He also couldn’t quite stop his face from heating up at the contact from the girl. Dante, from behind him, slowly shut the door, maneuvering around them towards the kitchen while eyeing the girl suspiciously.  
  
“Oh, I, um, no problem...”  
  
The girl squeezed a little tighter before releasing, giving him a soft smile. He couldn’t help but smile bashfully back. He heard his mom mumble something about wanting to watch some special news channel. But he couldn’t be bothered to pay attention as he locked eyes with the girl for the second time. Her eyes had more life than the last time he saw them. They were mostly devoid of the pain and sadness they held the other night. She looked so much happier.  
  
“–e Stone, the prime suspect in the murder of a 45 year old man and 39 year old pregnant woman, is still at large. If anyone has any information, please contact–”  
  
The room froze. All eyes turned to her. As slow as she could manage, the girl turned to look at the tv. Out of all the moving pictures the magic box could show, it had to be _hers_. There was a detailed moving picture, showing her bursting out of a burning building, blood coating her clawed hands. She roared at the moving picture taker before inevitably scurrying off as the sirens began to approach. It felt odd, watching herself. From an outsider's perspective, she could definitely understand why everyone referred to her as a monster.  
  
“Dante, what are you–”  
  
Bryn’s call came too late. Dante rushed towards Damon and the girl, pushing Damon out of the way and plunging a kitchen knife into the girl’s right forearm as she tried to defend herself. She screamed in pain, bringing up her leg and kicking him away with a powerful blow to the abdomen that sent him to the floor. She grit her teeth as she gripped the knife handle, attempting to will her body not to become the monster she knows it’ll inevitably become, despite knowing full well how futile it was the moment her body heat spiked.  
  
Bryn rushed to Dante’s side as the blade began melting from the girl’s rising temperature. She tore it out of her arm quickly, screaming painfully as she watched her blood splatter onto the wooden floor along with the knife. She clung to the sides of her head, screeching, trying desperately to stop her body. All the Rose family could do was watch on in horror.  
  
The girl collapsed to the ground, her body trembling. Her nails began to grow unnaturally long at an alarmingly fast rate, until they looked less like fingernails and more like claws. Starting from her fingers, her skin looked as though it were turning inside out to reveal brightly coloured blue scales hidden underneath that ran all the way up her arms. She banged her head off the floor, panting hard, hoping to give herself some relief from the excruciating pain she was feeling.  
  
And then the shaking stopped. Slowly the girl looked up at the woman who allowed her to take refuge in her house, and her son who’d just stabbed her in the arm. They noticed the happy, lively eyes she’d had moments before were replaced with eyes that held nothing but rage. Eyes of someone who’s killed before. They would have been a little less frightened if her pupils weren’t slit like that of a cat or snake.  
  
Bryn held on to Dante, trying her best to calm her trembling body. Dante wasn’t any better. He was clutching his mother in fear, trembling harshly with tears rolling down his cheeks. The girl slowly rose to her feet, a low growl escaping her lips. She took a step forward, bloodied arm raised. She lunged. She roared. Her arm swung down.  
  
There was a flash of auburn.  
  
There was blood that didn’t belong to her.  
  
Or Bryn.  
  
Or Dante.  
  
The girl’s pupils became rounded again, indicating that she seemed to snap back to reality. She stumbled backwards, panting as the scales began to rot off her body. She looked at the two in front of her and was relieved to see she didn’t harm either of them.  
  
Until she looked down, and that relief melted away.  
  
Damon laid on his side, with four distinct claw marks littering the left side of his hairline, blood oozing down his pained face. Fortunately for him, the wounds weren’t that deep. He was breathing, he would live.  
  
But he’d have to live with an awful reminder of her existence.  
  
Bryn lunged forward, clutching Damon in her arms, calling out to him and making sure he was still breathing. Once she confirmed that he was, she ordered Dante to go grab the nearest phone and call the police. The girl attempted to take a step forward.  
  
“I... I...”  
  
“Stay away from us!!”  
  
She ended up taking two steps backward. The way Bryn glared at her caused her to break down and sob violently. She’d seen the look in her eyes too many times to count. She had many burdens to shoulder, but this one was too much for her to handle.  
  
“I… sorry..!” was the only thing the girl managed to choke out through the sobs that racked her already frail body.  
  
The anger in Bryn’s eyes faltered ever so slightly. She may have felt sorry for the young girl, but she would never forgive her for endangering her sons.  
  
“Get out of here. I never want to see you again.” Bryn spat, her voice full of malice.  
  
The girl hesitated for a moment. She glanced down at the boy coddled in his mother’s protective embrace and noticed his eyes blood coated eyes had opened slightly. Her breath caught in her throat.  
  
Damon’s eyes were blank. She couldn’t tell how he was feeling and, if she were being completely honest, she didn’t want to know. She already had that feeling in her gut that told her Damon probably saw her the way the rest of them saw her.  
  
A monster. Nothing more, nothing less.  
  
The girl backed away slowly, wiping her tears on her wounded arm and smearing blood on her face. As soon as she opened the door, sirens rang out in the distance. Panic overtook her and she ran to the only place she knew she could be safe.  
  
The forest.  
  
Hopefully, never to be seen again.


	2. We'll Meet Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so ya'll know, "Kage" is supposed to be pronounced "Caw-gae" and not "Cage."   
> Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.

It had been almost ten years since that day. Damon remembers her often. He often wonders if there was some way that day could've ended differently. If there was some peaceful outcome. If his mom hadn’t turned on the news, or Dante hadn’t turned things so extreme so quickly. Dante was just trying to protect him from what he thought was a threat, he knows that. But there could’ve been a better way to do it.  
  
Damon sighed as he stared down the dirt path. He’d been there many times during those long years, never finding the courage to go down the path alone. His family forbade him from stepping foot in the forest, anywhere near _her_. But that didn’t stop him from trying. Of course, his lack of courage never got him anywhere close to where she might be. But he was determined to change that.  
  
Sucking in a deep breath, Damon began walking down the dirt path. It wasn't any easier the second time around, but his adult brain made it easier to rationalize his fears than his child brain did. He was still startled by the crunching of dead leaves beneath his feet or the wind howling through the vast amount of trees. But he no longer believed ghosts or shadow beings were going to jump out at him. Besides, there was only one monster that lived in the forest...  
  
The girl had made quite the name for herself over the years. The police never found her that day, and it seems she spent the rest of her days scaring the ignorant masses out of her territory. There were many stories about her; Some said she was a vengeful spirit who stole away children in the night. Others said she was a monster; A big, scaly monster with long teeth and razor sharp claws that ate anyone who came near. Most, however, said she was a demon; Her humanoid figure used to lure them in, only to reveal her curled horns and devious eyes, to burn their souls away with the hellfire that clung to her inhuman body. The stories were quite outlandish, Damon had to admit, but they at least held some semblance of the truth.  
  
Damon made it to the clearing relatively quickly. The house hadn’t changed one bit since the last time he saw it. _Odd,_ he thought. _If she were living here, surely she must’ve moved something_. He cautiously approached the house, afraid she’d jump out at him, assuming he was just another hooligan going somewhere they didn’t belong. Not entirely untrue, but not the point.  
  
He managed to make it through the busted door frame and into a large dark room. The wooden floors were rotting. The furniture was old and mouldy. Shelves were knocked over, with broken glass and damp, crumpled paper scattered all over the rotting wood. Damon did his best trying to navigate through the house without stepping on anything. There was a set of stairs that were blocked by old debris just before another room that looked like a dining area. The condition was the same as the first room, mouldy and broken items strewn about. Except for one out of place picture frame resting on an out of place table. Curious, Damon approached to get a better look.  
  
The table was the only thing he could find that wasn’t destroyed. It stood upright, all of its legs still intact, with only minor scratches along the top. The picture frame had also barely sustained any damage, either from the calamity that destroyed the house nor the shackles of time. The picture was of a smiling family, the one that used to live in the house he assumed. The girl he met ten years ago was in the picture, along with the man she killed. But the woman in the picture wasn’t the one who appeared on the news all those years ago. She had the same hair colour as the girl –that same distinct blue– so he assumed they must be related in some way. She never appeared on the news during the incident though. She looked old enough to be the girl’s mother, but if that were the case, then who was the woman she killed? Damon was told that both of her parents were dead, so where does this woman come into the picture?  
  
Damon decided not to dwell on it for too long, opting to instead leave the house before gravity decided to collapse it on top of him. As he walked back to the dirt path, his eyes glazed over at the tree line where he swore he saw a shadow move. _It was probably an animal, nothing to worry about, just an animal_. That didn’t stop him from changing course, walking towards the direction of the shadow.  
  
There were no physical paths to follow but somehow Damon managed to convince himself that he wasn’t completely lost. He could still hear cars rushing down the highway just outside the woods which gave him a sense of how far in he was going. He was at least aware of which way was out. It didn’t really help when he had absolutely no idea where he was going. He remembered passing what looked like a lake –maybe just a very large pond, who knows– but that was about the only landmark he had.  
  
Eventually, Damon stumbled upon a cave etched into a cliffside deep within the forest. It was vacant, but inside was a makeshift fireplace, which was unlit and looked like it hadn’t been used all day. There was a half eaten deer carcass behind the fireplace, the bones laying beside it licked completely clean. The sight made Damon grimace.  
  
He looked to the left and then to the right, making sure he didn’t just accidentally stumble upon her home. Even if he did, there was no way for him to actually spot her if she were watching him. It still reassured him to check, even if it was in vain. He released the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.  
  
He turned and left the way he came. Damon subconsciously grazed his fingers over the three finger-length scars lining the left side of his forehead. He shouldn’t be out in the woods. It was a crazy, stupid idea to think he could find her again. Who knew what she could be capable of this time around. He might not be so lucky if he were to encounter her again. But still, that didn’t stop him from thinking about the look in her eyes on that day.  
  
His family called her a monster, but Damon disagrees. A monster wouldn’t have eyes full of remorse after committing atrocities. It was an accident. She was scared, she was hurt. But most importantly, she was _sorry_.  
  
Damon sighed as he stopped at the lake he saw earlier. It was one of the only areas illuminated by the bright moonlight. The water was still, reflecting the many stars unseen to the city eyes and large crescent moon in a very picturesque way. It was, in short, beautiful. He suddenly became envious of the one who got to experience sights like this regularly. Damon felt as though he could stare at it forever.  
  
That is, until he spotted a figure near the shore of the lake. The figure was waist deep in the water, staring up at the moon, standing perfectly still, with their back facing Damon. It was a wonder how Damon didn’t notice them. What Damon did notice, however, as he glanced down ever so slightly, was a bundle of clothing. When he looked back up at the figure, he noticed their long hair and ever so slight hourglass body shape...  
  
His breath caught in his throat as he slowly retreated behind a nearby tree. Damon tried his best to calm his racing heart. He heard a single splash, and then nothing. He waited a minute before peeking his head out from behind the tree. The bundle of clothing was still there but the figure had disappeared. He wondered if they knew he was there and decided to swim out further under the water. He watched for another minute, but the figure never resurfaced. His heart began pounding against his ribcage, this time out of fear. He pressed his back up against the tree, wondering what to do.  
  
That’s when something dropped from the tree.  
  
Damon never got the chance to scream as he was quickly grabbed by the collar of his jacket and pinned up against the tree. He immediately squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he saw his attackers bare skin. There was a low growl and Damon immediately knew who he was being restrained by. The only noise that escaped his mouth were pathetic, frightened whimpers.  
  
He was lowered slightly, but the growling never ceased. It grew louder, closer, and Damon could feel her hot breath on his face. Still he refused to open his eyes. He sent out a silent mental message to his family.  
  
_Mom, dad, Dante... I’m sorry, but I’m probably about to die._  
  
And then the growling stopped.  
  
Damon felt warm fingers tracing the scars on his forehead. The grip on his collar loosened and his feet finally made contact with the ground again. Damon found himself no longer able to keep his eyes shut.  
  
Before him stood a very short girl, her long blue hair fortunately covering her chest. Her face was inches away from his, her deep blue eyes studying his scars. A small squeak replaced the threatening growl, as if she were trying to say something but didn’t quite know how. She let go and took a step back. Damon refused to look anywhere but at her face. Specifically, her eyes.  
  
_Those damned eyes._  
  
He could see many emotions swirling around in those eyes. Shock, confusion, remorse, longing, and then fear. It seemed as though she didn’t know how to express any of them. She swallowed hard before opening her mouth to speak, her soft yet scratchy and hoarse voice sounded like it hadn’t been used in years.  
  
“Da...mon..?”  
  
And then she fled.  
  
She was obviously shocked. She was confused. Why was he here? The last time she saw him, she sliced his head open. Sure his family would _never_ let him near her again. _So why? Why was he here?_  
  
But at the same time, she wanted to see him. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was for hurting him. How sorry she was that she couldn’t control herself better. But the look of disappointment, of _fear_ , always accompanied these wistful thoughts. Now that she had come face to face with him again, she realized she was afraid to see that look cross his features. And so, she did what she does best. She ran.  
  
She could hear him calling out to hear as she whirled around trees, making noise in one direction before taking off in another. She was using his only reliable source of tracking her, his hearing, against him. Eventually his voice died out. She skidded to a stop to catch her breath. She strained her ears, listening for his distinct voice or footsteps. Any indication that he was still following her. When she heard none, she let out a deep breath, resting a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart.  
  
She climbed the closest tree to her to figure out her bearings. She wasn’t too far away from her cave. Hopping down, she cautiously made her way back, just in case Damon was still following her. She reached her cave relatively quickly. Everything was still in the same place she left it. She strolled over, sitting down next to the fireplace and raising her hand to light it.  
  
“Kage.”  
  
Her eyes widened. Her entire body froze. The word hung heavily in the air, threatening to crush her. Buried memories resurfaced, stealing the air from her lungs. _How did he even..?_  
  
She turned to look and, sure enough, Damon was standing here, one hand over his eyes and the other holding a bundle of clothing out to her. _Oh, right_. Standing again, she shuffled over to him, grabbing her clothes and slipping them on. She swallowed hard, moving his hand away from his eyes.  
  
“How... my... name..?”  
  
“Oh, uh, I-it was on the news... For a while... All those years ago…”  
  
She nodded. That made sense. It was a major incident after all.  
  
He sucked in a breath.  
  
“Listen, I–”  
  
“You... go...”  
  
“What?”  
  
She turned her back to him. She couldn’t bear to see the look on his face.  
  
“You... hate... Ka..ge...”  
  
She could barely find it in herself to choke out her own name. She hated it so much.  
  
There was a beat of silence.  
  
“I don’t hate you, Kage.”  
  
Her eyes widened in disbelief. There was _no_ way he _couldn’t_ hate her. She kept her back to him, afraid that if she turned around, she would see deception in his eyes. The thought brought old memories to the forefront of her mind, her vision filled with chilling old men telling her that _everything would be fine_ and that _it wouldn’t hurt one bit._  
  
“B-but... Bryn... Dan..te... hate...–”  
  
She felt a hand resting on her shoulder, followed shortly by a soft, “turn around please.” Swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she turned. There were no old men, devious eyes, chilling smiles. Just Damon, staring at her with eyes full of sadness.  
  
“Look, I don’t hate you. I don’t exactly agree with everything you did back then either, though,” he paused the take a deep breath. “But I don’t want to go blindly assigning blame. I want to know why you did what you did. I want to know who drove you to this. Most importantly, I just want to _help_ you.”  
  
She flinched at that word. _Help_. Nothing good ever came from it. People never wanted to _help_ her. People only ever wanted to _use_ her.  
  
Growling, she spat out, “No... help...“  
  
Damon was taken aback.  
  
“What?”  
  
“Help... bad…”  
  
And with that, she turned her back on him. She sat herself down next to the fireplace, raising her hand with her palm facing the unlit wood. Without warning, her hand jerked forward slightly and a ball of fire shot out from her palm, igniting the wood. The action caused Damon to jump. She looked at Damon, staring deep into his eyes, hoping to convey the message she couldn’t with her voice alone.  
  
_Do you truly want to help me?  
  
Or do you also want to slice me open?_  
  
There was a long silence. Damon shifted uncomfortably, but she was used to silence. Silence would never be anything but welcoming to her. She eventually broke eye contact, concluding that he wasn’t able to pick up on her silent plea. She turned away, deciding that she’d seen enough of his face.  
  
“Go...”  
  
“B-but Kage–”  
  
“Go...’way..!”  
  
_Stop saying that name!!_  
  
Her shoulders tensed up. She found herself screwing her eyes shut, despite not even facing the man. She heard him suck in a deep breath. Another beat of silence, followed by:  
  
“A-alright, I’ll leave. I’ll see if I can stop by again soon, so don’t disappear on me again, okay?”  
  
She didn’t know what was wrong with him. He had a home, a family, a life. He didn’t need to waste his time on something like her. She was perfectly content being alone. She was always alone, and would always be alone. There was nothing he could do to change that fact. And yet she couldn’t quell her desire to see him again. He was just as much of an enigma to her as she was to him.  
  
“O..kay...”  
  
He let out a relieved sigh. She couldn’t see it, but he was probably smiling.  
  
“A-alright, then. I’ll, um, see you later...”  
  
He left before she could respond. She wasn’t going to anyway, and he probably knew that. She turned her head to where he once stood, confirming he was actually gone, before staring into the warm glow of the lit fireplace. Her lips curled into a small smile for a moment. Fire was the closest connection she had to her deceased mother, and she often found herself seeking out its warmth when she required consolation or guidance from someone who was no longer with her. She sought out her guidance then, and she could do it again now.  
  
“Mom... what... do..?”  
  
_Mom, please help me. I don’t know what to do or how to feel. He’s the first one, aside from you, who wants to form a genuine connection with me. I don’t know what he sees in me. Especially after what I did to him..._  
  
The fire flickered aimlessly in front of her. She sucked in a deep breath.  
  
_I... I’m scared he might be faking it, mom... I’m scared he’s going to send me back to them. I don’t want to go back!_  
  
She waited. Waited for some sort of sign to appear in the midst of the flames, telling her how to approach the situation. She’d seen it back then, when she escaped from _them_ , when she sought revenge on her father for betraying her and her mother. The flames _always_ told her what to do. So _why?_ Why wasn’t there anything appearing now? Why wasn’t her mother _helping_ her?  
  
“Mom... ple..ase..!!” She choked out, not realizing tears had already begun to stream down her face. The fire continued to flicker, and after a moment, she gave up waiting for help that would never come. Her body trembled as tears continued to pour out of her eyes. She covered her mouth, attempting to muffle the hiccups and sobs that escaped her lips. Even her own mother, the one who swore to always be there for her, had abandoned her.  
  
She was fully and truly alone.  
  
Allowing the fire to die out, she took off her shirt. She crumpled it into a ball before resting her head on it. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically. A lot of things happened that she never would’ve expected to happen. She didn’t realize that talking to someone, even for a short period of time, could be so draining. Heaving a sigh, she turned her back to the world, and Kage fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I realized that I need to replot my entire story again so I don't know when I'll get the next chapter out but I'll do my best.


End file.
